"This is my Roman empire" "Love this little life": Fans can't get enough as Azzi Fudd gives Paige Bueckers "princess treatment"
College basketball fans were touched by the social media dump by former UConn teammates Azzi Fudd and Paige Bueckers that was posted on Saturday.
Fudd's 12-second TikTok video with the caption: "Princess treatment every time I’m with her" showed how Bueckers picked up a $200 bill at a restaurant. It also depicted how the former National Player of the Year cares for a special person in her life.
Fans commented on the post, with one basketball enthusiast using a phrase that expresses a feeling of intense focus or obsession with a particular subject, person or idea:
"This is my roman empire."
Another fan noted that she loves this life when she saw her idols in the video:
"i love this little life."
Other fans were thinking that the best friends have upgraded their relationship.
Some fans, on the other hand, still feel that they are best friends and nothing more.
Azzi Fudd and Paige Bueckers knew each other in high school as they were teammates on Team USA. Despite attending different schools, the bond as best friends remained solid. It was Bueckers who recruited Fudd to UConn.
They supported each other even in trials and injuries, as shown when Fudd was sidelined for a year due to a knee injury. Bueckers showed her support to her best friend by visiting her before her surgery and was the first to call after the procedure.
"She was always texting me, checking up on me and making sure that my spirits were high throughout the whole thing,” Fudd said of Bueckers.
The friendship of Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd continues beyond UConn
The friendship of Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd continued to grow even if they have parted ways in Storrs. Bueckers, now playing for the WNBA's Dallas Wings, had a constant companion in Fudd, who joined the 23-year-old guard at the draft in New York and at the Wings' game against the Atlanta Dream.
It was during one of those trips that the viral TikTok video was set.
Bueckers proved that she would do what it takes to help UConn win the title before her collegiate career ended. She took a backseat and allowed Fudd to do the damage in the Final Four and the national final.
The 5-11 Arlington, Virginia native scored 19 points against UCLA in the Final Four and erupted for 24 points against South Carolina in the national final. The performances gave Fudd the Most Outstanding Player in the 2025 NCAA Tournament.
Azzi Fudd will try to lead UConn in its back-to-back title bid in the 2025-26 women's basketball season, which will start in November. She'll have most of the stars of the 2025 national championship-winning team (except Bueckers and Kaitlyn Chen) back for another opportunity at glory to give legendary coach Geno Auriemma his 13th title.